Combination antenna module and portable electronic device including same

ABSTRACT

Provided are a combination antenna module and a portable electronic device including same. There is provided a combo antenna module that includes an antenna unit and a switching unit. The antenna unit includes a circuit board, a first wireless power transmission antenna, and a second wireless power transmission antenna of which manner is different from that of the first wireless power transmission antenna. The switching unit is configured to be connected or disconnected the first antenna and the second antenna based on an operation mode of the antenna unit.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a U.S. National Stage of PCT/KR2016/007483 filed inthe Korean language on Jul. 11, 2016, entitled: “Combination AntennaModule And Portable Electronic Device Including Same” which applicationclaims priority to Korean Application No. 10-2015-0102432 filed on Jul.20, 2015 and to Korean Application No. 10-2015-0102438 filed on Jul. 20,2015, which applications are each hereby incorporated herein byreference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to an antenna module, and moreparticularly, to a combo antenna module and a portable electronic deviceincluding the same, which can expand a range of wireless powertransmission or wireless communication, and improve efficiency andperformance of the wireless power transmission or wireless communicationaccording to an operation mode.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

Recently, portable electronic devices including mobile phone, tablet PC,and the like are equipped with various wireless communication functionsand a wireless charging function using wireless power transmission.Here, since each wireless communication and wireless power transmissionuses different frequency depending on each application, it is necessaryto provide an antenna for each frequency or application. Therefore, thenumber of antennas is increasing in portable electronic devices.

As the kind of usable antennas, such as a near field communication (NFC)antenna and a magnetic secure transmission (MST) antenna for thewireless communication, or a wireless power consortium (WPC) antenna, apower matters alliance (PMA) antenna and an alliance for wireless power(A4WP) antenna for the wireless power transmission, is increased, itappears that the antennas are applied in a combo form.

The WPC and PMA antennas perform the wireless power transmission in amagnetic induction manner inducing a current from one coil to anothercoil via a magnetic field, while the A4WPC antenna performs the wirelesspower transmission in a magnetic resonance manner transmitting energy bycoupling coils having the same resonance frequency with each other.

The magnetic induction manner is so sensitive to a distance between thecoils and relative positions that the transmission efficiency may dropsharply. On the other hand, in the magnetic resonance manner, it ispossible to wirelessly transmit power even though the distance betweenthe coils is not close to each other. However, there are problems thatthe transmission efficiency may be low due to large power loss, andelectromagnetic waves may be generated over a wide range.

Therefore, recent portable electronic devices are adopting both themagnetic induction manner and the magnetic resonance manner so as tosupplement disadvantages for the wireless power transmission functionand selectively use them as needed.

Meanwhile, an inductance of a loop antenna may be determined relying ona communication frequency and a wireless power transmission frequency ofeach application.

For example, in the case of the NFC antenna, an inductance of 1 to 2 μHis required to implement a frequency of 13.56 MHz, in case of the A4WPantenna, an inductance of 1 to 2 μH is required to implement a frequencyof 6.78 MHz, in case of the WPC or the PMA antenna, an inductance of 6to 12 μH is required to implement a frequency of 100 to 350 kHz, and incase of the MST antenna, an inductance of 10 to 40 μH is required toimplement a frequency of 100 kHz or less.

That is, the NFC antenna or the A4WP antenna for the wireless powertransmission of the magnetic resonance manner requires relatively a lowinductance because the used frequency is higher than that of the MSTantenna, or the WPC and PMA antenna for the wireless power transmissionof the magnetic induction manner.

Therefore, generally the wireless power transmission (WPC, or PMA)antenna of the magnetic induction manner is disposed at the center ofthe antenna unit considering the range of wireless power transmissionbetween a wireless power transmitter (Tx) and a wireless power receiver(Rx) and a strength and the efficiency of the wireless powertransmission. In particular, in the combo antenna, the WPC or the PMAantenna is generally disposed at the center portion of the antenna unit,and the MST antenna is disposed at the outer periphery of the antennaunit.

The NFC or A4WP antenna having a relatively low inductance is disposedat the outer periphery of the combo antenna because the performance isbetter as the antenna area is larger. Therefore, as for NFC or A4WPantenna, an additional pattern in the inner area of the antenna unit isprovided to expand the range of the wireless power transmission or thewireless power communication, and to improve the efficiency and theperformance of the wireless power transmission or the wirelesscommunication.

However, since the combo antenna having a plurality of antennas isprovided with the antenna such as the WPC, the PMA, or the MST antennaat the center of the antenna unit, it is not easy to implement anadditional pattern of the NFC or the A4WP antenna.

Therefore, there is a need to develop a technique capable of increasingthe area of the NFC or the A4WP antenna without affecting the antennassuch as the WPC, the PMA or the MST antenna disposed in the antennaunit.

SUMMARY

To solve the above problem and defects, it is an object of the presentdisclosure to provide a combo antenna module capable of improving arange, an efficiency and a performance of a wireless power transmissionor a wireless communication, by using an antenna of another mode byswitching according to an operation mode of an antenna unit.

In addition, it is another object of the present disclosure to provide aportable electronic device having a wireless charging function capableof improving the range, efficiency and performance of the wireless powertransmission or wireless communication, by using a combo antenna moduleincluding two antennas which can be switched according to the operationmode of the antenna unit.

To accomplish the above and objects of the present disclosure, there isprovided a combo antenna module that includes an antenna unit and aswitching unit. The antenna unit includes a circuit board, a firstantenna for wireless power transmission, and a second antenna forwireless power transmission of which manner is different from that ofthe first antenna. The switching unit is configured to connect ordisconnect the first antenna and the second antenna based on anoperation mode of the antenna unit.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, the firstantenna may be disposed at an outer portion of the circuit board, andthe second antenna may be disposed inside the first antenna of thecircuit board.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the circuit board may bemade from a flexible material.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first antenna may be awireless power transmission antenna of the magnetic resonance manner,and the second antenna may be a wireless power transmission antenna ofthe magnetic induction manner.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the operation mode ofthe antenna unit is a wireless power transmission mode of the magneticresonance manner, the switching unit may connect the first antenna andthe second antenna in parallel.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when a performance of thewireless power transmission through the first antenna is equal to orless than a reference value, the switching unit may connect the firstantenna and the second antenna in parallel.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the performance of thewireless power transmission may be a strength of the wireless powertransmission or reception.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the operation mode ofthe antenna unit is the wireless power transmission mode of the magneticinduction manner, the switching unit may disconnect the first antennaand the second antenna.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the combo antenna module mayfurther include a shielding unit disposed on a surface of the antennaunit to shield a magnetic field.

To accomplish the above and other objects of the present disclosure,there is provided a combo antenna module that includes an antenna unitand a switching unit. The antenna unit includes a circuit board, aplurality of antennas having different operating frequencies from eachother. The switching unit is configured to connect or disconnect atleast two of the plurality of antennas based on an operation mode of theantenna unit.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the antenna unit may includea first antenna disposed at an outermost portion of the circuit board, asecond antenna disposed on a center area of the circuit board, and atleast one a third antenna disposed between the first antenna and thesecond antenna.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, an operating frequency ofthe second antenna may be lower than that of the first antenna andhigher than that of the third antenna.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first antenna mayinclude any one of a wireless power transmission antenna of the magneticresonance manner and a NFC antenna, the second antenna may be a wirelesspower transmission antenna of the magnetic induction manner, and thethird antenna may be a MST antenna.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the antenna unit is inan operation mode in which the first antenna is used, the switching unitmay connect in parallel the first antenna with at least one of thesecond antenna, and the third antenna.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when a performance throughthe first antenna is equal to or less than a reference value, theswitching unit may connect in parallel the first antenna with at leastone of the second antenna and the third antenna.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, when the antenna unit is inan operation mode in which the first antenna is not used, the switchingunit may disconnect all of the first antenna, the second antenna, andthe third antenna.

To accomplish the above and other objects of the present disclosure,there is provided a portable electronic device that includes the comboantenna module, a plurality of wireless modules coupled with theplurality of antennas respectively and a mode determination unit fordetermining which module of the plurality of wireless modules isoperating and for controlling switching of the combo antenna module.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, any oneof the plurality of wireless modules may transmit or receive powerwirelessly.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, any one of the plurality ofwireless modules may communicate wirelessly.

To accomplish the above and other objects of the present disclosure,there is provided a portable electronic device that includes a comboantenna module, a switching unit, a plurality of wireless module, and amode determination unit. The combo antenna unit includes a circuitboard, an antenna unit including a plurality of antennas havingdifferent operating frequencies from each other, and a shielding unitdisposed on a surface of the antenna unit to shield a magnetic field.The switching unit is configured to connect or disconnect at least twoof the plurality of antennas based on an operation mode of the antennaunit. The plurality of wireless modules is coupled with the plurality ofantennas, respectively. The mode determination unit is to determinewhich module of the plurality of wireless modules is operating and forcontrolling switching of the combo antenna module.

According to the present disclosure, by selectively connecting theantenna disposed at an outer portion of the circuit board and theantenna disposed inside the circuit board in parallel by switching basedon the operation mode of the antenna unit, the antenna area is increasedwithout big changing the inductance, thereby improving the range,efficiency and performance of the wireless power transmission or thewireless communication.

Further, according to the present disclosure, by connecting an antennausing a high frequency and an antenna using a low frequency in parallel,it is possible to improve the range, efficiency and performance of thewireless power transmission or wireless communication without separatelyproviding an additional internal pattern. Therefore, miniaturization ofthe combo antenna module having a plurality of antennas can be realized.

Further, by applying the combo antenna module to the portable electronicdevice, it is possible to improve the range, efficiency and performanceof the wireless power transmission or wireless communication byswitching based on the operating mode, thereby enhancing the convenienceand satisfaction of user of portable electronic device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a combo antenna module according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of anoperating state of the combo antenna module according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing another example of theoperation state of the combo antenna module according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is an equivalent circuit diagram of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing the combo antennamodule according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing an example of the shielding unit ofFIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a portable electronic devicehaving a wireless charging function according to an exemplary embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the combo antenna module according toanother exemplary embodiment of present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing an example of the operatingstate of the combo antenna module according to another exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing another example of theoperation state of the combo antenna module according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is an equivalent circuit diagram of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view schematically showing the combo antennamodule according to another exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 13 is a schematic block diagram of the portable electronic deviceaccording to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described indetails to the accompanying drawings, which will be apparent to one ofordinary skill in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced.The present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and isnot limited to the embodiments described herein. In the drawings,well-known methods, procedures, components, circuits and networks havenot been described in detail so as to not to unnecessarily obscureaspects of the embodiments, and the same reference numerals are assignedto the same or similar components throughout the specification.

As shown in FIG. 1, a combo antenna module 100 includes an antenna unit110 and a switching unit 120, according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

The antenna unit 110 may be to receive a wireless signal from a portableelectronic device such as a mobile phone, a PDA, a PMP, a tablet, amultimedia device, and the like. The antenna unit 110 may include aplurality of antennas that perform different roles, and in particular,the plurality of antennas for wireless power transmission. As shown inFIGS. 1 and 5, the antenna unit 110 may include a circuit board 111, afirst antenna 112 and a second antenna 114.

The circuit board 111 may be a substrate having at least one antenna ora circuit unit formed optionally on a upper surface thereof. The circuitboard 111 may be made from the material having a heat resistance, apressure resistance and a flexibility. Considering the physicalproperties of such the material, a thermosetting polymer film such as afilm made from polyimide (PI), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or thelike may be used as the circuit board 111. In particular, the PI filmcan withstand a high temperature of 400° C. or higher and a lowtemperature of −269° C., that is, has super heat resistance and supercold temperature resistance. In addition, the PI film is thin andflexible, and has a strong chemical resistance and an abrasionresistance. For these reasons, the PI film may be widely used to providea stable performance in a severe environment.

On a side of the circuit board 111, the circuit unit (not shown here) ora connection terminal for electrical connection with an electronicdevice may be provided by the number of antennas.

The first antenna 112 may be disposed on an outer portion of the circuitboard 111. The first antenna 112 may be a wireless power transmissionantenna of a magnetic resonance manner, and for example, may be an A4WPantenna.

The second antenna 114 may be a wireless power transmission antenna of adifferent manner from the first antenna 112. The second antenna 114 maybe disposed inside the first antenna 112 of the circuit board 111 andmay be a wireless power transmission antenna of magnetic inductionmanner, for example, may be a WPC or a PMA antenna.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first antenna 112 and the second antenna 114 maybe formed of a flat coil wound in a clockwise direction orcounterclockwise direction. The wound flat coil may have a circularshape, an elliptical shape, a spiral shape, or a polygonal shape such asa quadrangular shape. Here, the first antenna 112 and the second antenna114 may function as a reception coil (Rx coil) or a transmission coil(Tx coil) for wireless power transmission.

Although not illustrated here, when all of the plurality of antennas 112and 114 are provided in the form of the flat coil, each of theconnection terminals may be electrically connected to an external devicewithout passing through the circuit board. In this case, the circuitboard can be eliminated so that the production cost can be furtherreduced.

The switching unit 120 may be connect or disconnect the first antenna112 and the second antenna 114 based on the operation mode of theantenna unit 110. The switching unit 120 may include the first switch122 and the second switch 124.

The first switch 122 may be connected to one side of the first antenna112 and the second antenna 114, respectively. The first switch 122 mayinclude a common contact C1 and two contacts S11 and S12. The commoncontact C1 may be selectively connected to any one of the contacts S11and S12.

The common contact C1 may be connected to one side of the second antenna114 and the contact S11 may be connected to a second wireless powermodule 16 coupled with the second antenna 114. The contact S12 may beconnected to one side of the first antenna 112. That is, the contact S12may be connected to one side of the first antenna 112 and the firstwireless power module 14 coupled with the first antenna 112.

The second switch 124 may be connected to the other side of the firstantenna 112 and the second antenna 114, respectively. This second switch124 may include a common contact C2 and two contacts S21 and S22,similarly to the first switch 122. The common contact C2 may beconnected to any one of the contacts S21 and S22.

The common contact C2 may be connected to the other side of the secondantenna 114 and the contact S21 may be connected to the second wirelessmodule 16 coupled with the second antenna 114. The contact S22 may beconnected to the other side of the first antenna 112. That is, thecontact S22 may be connected to the other side of the first antenna 112and the first wireless module 14 coupled with the first antenna 112.

When the switching unit 120 disconnects the first antenna 112 and thesecond antenna 114, the first antenna 112 and the second antenna 114 mayoperate individually.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the first switch 122 is to connect the commoncontact C1 and the contact S11, while the second switch 124 is toconnect the common contact C2 and the contact S21.

At this time, the wireless power transmission of magnetic inductionmanner may be performed through the second antenna 114. In this case,the first antenna 112 may not operate because the first antenna 112 hasa different frequency from that of the second antenna 114.

When the switching unit 120 may to connect the first antenna 112 and thesecond antenna 114, the second antenna 114 may be connected with thefirst antenna 112 in parallel and function as a part of the firstantenna 112.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the first switch 122 may to connect thecommon contact C1 and the contact S12, while the second switch 124 mayto connect the common contact C2 and the contact S22.

Here, the first antenna 112 and the second antenna 114 may be connectedin parallel and operate as like one antenna. In this case, the wirelesspower transmission of magnetic resonance manner may be performed throughthe first antenna 112.

As shown in FIG. 4, since the inductance L₁ of the first antenna 112 andthe inductance L₂ of the second antenna 114 are connected in parallel,the total inductance L_(total) of the first antenna 112 and the secondantenna 114 connected in parallel is expressed by below Equation (1).

$\begin{matrix}{\frac{1}{L_{total}} = {\frac{1}{L_{1}} + \frac{1}{L_{2}}}} & \left\lbrack {{Equation}\mspace{14mu} 1} \right\rbrack\end{matrix}$

For example, if the inductance L1 of the first antenna 112 is 2 μH andthe inductance L2 of the second antenna 114 is 10 μH, the totalinductance L_(total) of the first antenna 112 and the second antenna 114a connected in parallel is 1.67 μH.

Therefore, since the first antenna 112 and the second antenna 114 areconnected in parallel, the total inductance value may not changesignificantly and the second antenna 114 disposed inside the circuitboard 111 may be used additionally for the wireless transmission.

As a result, the range of the antenna used in the wireless powertransmission of magnetic resonance manner may be extended to not onlythe outer portion of circuit board 111 but also the central portion ofthe circuit board 111. Thus, the efficient distance of the wirelesspower transmission of the magnetic resonance manner may increase and therange of the wireless power transmission may be widened. In this case,since the wireless power transmission is performed over wider range, theefficiency of the wireless power transmission can be improved.

Further, by selectively using the second antenna 114 disposed inside thefirst antenna 112 by a switching operation, it is possible to improvethe efficiency of the wireless power transmission without providing aseparate antenna or a pattern. Therefore, it is possible to downsize thecombo antenna module 100 with respect to the same efficiency.

When the operation mode of the antenna unit 110 is the operation modeusing the wireless power transmission of the magnetic resonance manner,that is, when the wireless power transmission is performed by themagnetic resonance manner or by the first antenna 112, the switchingunit 120 may function so as to connect the first antenna 114 with thesecond antenna 114 in parallel.

Alternatively, when the performance of the wireless power transmissionthrough the first antenna 112 is equal to or less than a referencevalue, the switching unit 120 may to connect the first antenna 112 andthe second antenna 114 in parallel. When the wireless power transmissionis performed by the magnetic resonance manner, or by the first antenna112, the switching unit 120 may not perform the switching operationunconditionally. The operation of the switching unit 120 may beselectively performed only in specific case such as when the efficiencyof the wireless power transmission is equal to or less than thereference value during such operation. At this time, the performance ofthe wireless power transmission may be a strength of wireless powertransmission or reception.

When the operation mode of the antenna unit 110 is in the wireless powertransmission mode of magnetic inductance manner, that is, when thewireless power transmission is performed by magnetic inductance manner,or by the second antenna 114, the switching unit 120 may to connect thefirst antenna 112 and the second antenna 114 in parallel.

In the present embodiment, the combo antenna module 100 may include theswitching unit 120, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.The switching unit 120 may be provided separately from the antenna unit110. For example, when the combo antenna module 100 is applied to theportable electronic device, the switching unit 120 may be separated fromthe antenna unit 110 and disposed on the main circuit board.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 5, the combo antenna module 100 may furtherinclude a shielding unit 130 disposed on a side of the antenna unit 110to shield a magnetic field.

The shielding unit 130 is formed of a plate-shaped member having apredetermined area, and the antenna unit 110 is fixed on a surface.

The shielding unit 130 may shield the magnetic field generated by theantenna unit 110 and increase the magnetic field condensing rate bycondensing the magnetic field in the desired direction, therebyenhancing the performance of the antenna unit 110 operating in apredetermined frequency band.

That is, when wireless power is transmitted by the magnetic resonancemanner in a frequency band of 100 to 350 kHz, or when wireless power istransmitted by the magnetic resonance manner in a frequency of 6.78 MHz,the shielding unit 130 is to enhance the performance of the antenna unit110 operating in corresponding frequency band.

To this end, the shielding unit 130 may be made from the magneticmaterial so as to shield the magnetic field generated from the antennaunit 110.

At this time, when the antenna unit 110 operates at a frequency band of100 to 350 kHz in a low frequency band, the shielding unit 130 may bemade from the material having a permeability, for example, in the rangeof 300 to 3500 Wb/A·m. When the antenna unit 110 operates at thefrequency of 6.78 MHz, the antenna unit 110 may be made from thematerial having the permeability, for example, in the range of 100 to350 Wb/A·m.

For example, the shielding unit 130 may be made of a Mn—Zn ferritesheet, a ribbon sheet of the amorphous alloy or the nanocrystallinealloy, a polymer sheet, or the like having a permeability of 2000 to3500 Wb/A·m in a low frequency band of 100 to 350 kHz. The shieldingunit 130 may be made of a Ni—Zn ferrite sheet, a ribbon sheet of theamorphous alloy or the nanocrystalline alloy, a polymer sheet or thelike having a permeability of 300 to 1500 Wb/A·m in a low frequency bandof 100 to 350 kHz.

In addition, the shielding unit 130 may be a Ni—Zn ferrite sheet, aribbon sheet of the amorphous alloy or the nanocrytalline alloy, apolymer sheet, or the like having a permeability of 100 to 350 Wb/A·m ata frequency of 6.78 MHz.

Here, the amorphous alloy or the nanocrystalline alloy may be a Fe-basedor a Co-based magnetic alloy. The amorphous alloy and thenanocrystalline alloy may include a three-element alloy or afive-element alloy. For example, the three-element alloy may include Fe,Si, and B, and the five-element alloy may include Fe, Si, B, Cu, and Nb.

As shown in FIG. 6, the shielding unit 130′ may be a multi-layer ribbonsheet which may be formed by stacking a plurality of ribbon sheets 131a, 131 b, and 131 c of the amorphous alloy or the nanocrystal alloy intwo or more layers.

In addition, the shielding unit 130 may include a plurality offine-pieces which are separated so as to suppress generation of eddycurrents, and the plurality of fine-pieces may be entirely or partiallyinsulated from the neighboring others.

The plurality of pieces may have a size of 1 μm to 3 mm, and each piecemay have irregular shapes.

When the magnetic field shielding sheet 130′ is constructed by stackingthe plurality of shielding sheets 131 a, 131 b, and 131 c including thedivided fine pieces, an adhesive layer 131 d including a nonconductivecomponent may be disposed between adjacent shielding sheets. Thereby, apart or the whole of the adhesive layer 131 d between every pair ofshielding sheets stacked on each other may permeate between theplurality of fine pieces constituting each sheet, and thus may insulatethe neighboring fine pieces from each other. Here, the adhesive layer131 d may be formed of an adhesive agent, or may be provided in a formin which an adhesive agent may be applied to a side or both sides of afilm type substrate.

At this time, the shielding unit 130 or 130′ may be provided with aseparate protective film (not shown) on at least one surface of theupper surface and the lower surface. When the shielding unit 130 or 130′is divided into fine pieces, by attaching the protective film (notshown) to the shielding unit 130 via an adhesive layer, the adhesivelayer may permeate between the plurality of fine pieces and insulatesthe neighboring fine pieces from each other. Here, the adhesive layer131 d may be formed of an adhesive agent, or may be provided in a formin which an adhesive agent may be applied to a side or both sides of afilm type substrate.

The combo antenna module 100 may be applied to a portable electronicdevice 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

As shown in FIG. 7, the portable electronic device 10 may include thecombo antenna module 100, a mode determination unit 12, a first wirelesspower module 14, and a second wireless power module 16.

The mode determining unit 12 may determine which one of the firstwireless power module 14 and the second wireless power module 16 isoperating and control the switching of the combo antenna module 100based on the determination. For example, the mode determination unit 12may determine the operation state based on the strength of the wirelesspower received through the each antenna of the combo antenna module 100.

Alternatively, the mode determination unit 12 may determine a conditionfor switching in a specific case only, rather than making the switchingunit 120 to perform a switching operation unconditionally according tothe operation mode of the first wireless power module 14 and the secondwireless power module 16.

For example, during the wireless power transmission by the magneticresonance manner through the first antenna 112 disposed on the outerportion of the circuit board 111, when the performance of wireless powertransmission is equal to or less than the reference value, the portableelectronic device 10 may control the switching operation of theswitching unit 120 so as to connect the first antenna 112 with thesecond antenna 114 in parallel to improve the efficiency.

In this case, the mode determination unit 12 may determine a specificcondition for switching the switching unit 120. For example, the modedetermination unit 12 may determine whether the wireless powertransmission performance is equal to or less than the reference valuebased on the strength of wireless power transmission or reception.

The mode determination unit 12 may determine various conditions forswitching the combo antenna module 100, and the embodiments of thepresent disclosure may not be particularly limited to the kind of thecondition or the determination method.

The first wireless power module 14 may perform the wireless powertransmission of the magnetic resonance manner in combination with thefirst antenna 112. The first wireless power module 14 may transmit orreceive power wirelessly. That is, the first power wireless module 14may include any one or both of a wireless power transmission module anda wireless power reception module.

The second wireless power module 16 may perform wireless powertransmission of the magnetic induction manner in combination with thesecond antenna 114. The second wireless power module 16 may transmit orreceive power wirelessly. That is, the second wireless power module 16may include any one or both of the wireless power transmission moduleand the wireless power reception module.

Here, when the first wireless power module 14 and the second wirelesspower module 16 function as the wireless power transmission module, theportable electronic device may include an inverter (not shown) whichconverts a direct current (DC) power supplied from the power supply ofthe portable electronic device 10 to an alternating current (AC) powerand supplies the AC power to the first antenna 112 and the secondantenna 114.

Also, when the first wireless power module 14 and the second wirelesspower module 16 function as the wireless power receiving module, theportable electronic device may include a rectifier (not shown) forrectifying the wireless AC power received from the first antenna 112 andthe second antenna 114 into a DC power and a DC-DC converter (not shown)for converting the rectified DC power into another DC power source beingsuitable for charging a battery of the portable electronic device 10 oran internal power source.

In addition, when the first wireless power module 14 and the secondwireless power module 16 function as both the wireless power receptionmodule and the wireless power transmission module, the portableelectronic device may include the inverter (not shown), the rectifier,and the DC-DC converter.

As described above, since the combo antenna module 100 according to theembodiments of the present disclosure is provided in the portableelectronic device 10, the wireless power transmission range andefficiency can be improved by the switching operation based on theoperation mode. Therefore, convenience and satisfaction for the user ofthe portable electronic device 10 can be improved.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the combo antennamodule 100 includes the switching unit 120 in the description above.However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The switchingunit 120 may be provided separately from the antenna unit 110. Forexample, when the combo antenna module 100 is applied to the portableelectronic device, the switching unit 120 may be disposed on a maincircuit board of the portable electronic device, separately from theantenna unit 110.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the antenna unit110 includes two antennas 112 and 114 for wireless power transmission,however, the present disclosure is not limited to thereto. The antennaunit may further include a wireless communication antenna such as a NFCor the MST antenna.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 12, the antenna unit 110′ may include thecircuit board 111, the first antenna 112, the second antenna 114 and thethird antenna 116.

The first antenna 112 may be disposed at an outermost portion of thecircuit board 111. The first antenna 112 may have an operating frequencyband of more than several MHz.

At this time, the first antenna 112 may be a wireless power transmissionantenna of the magnetic resonance manner at the frequency of 6.78 MHz,and for example, may be an A4WP antenna. Also, the first antenna 112 maybe a communication antenna at the frequency of 13.56 MHz, and forexample, may be an NFC antenna.

The second antenna 114 may be disposed on the inner side of the firstantenna 112 of the circuit board 111, particularly on the central areaof the circuit board 111. The second antenna 114 may have an operatingfrequency which is lower than that of the first antenna 112 and higherthan that of the third antenna 116. For example, the second antenna 114may have an operating frequency of several hundred kHz.

In this case, the second antenna 114 may be the wireless powertransmission antenna of the magnetic induction manner on a frequencyband of 100 to 350 kHz, and for example, may be the WPC or the PMAantenna. In addition, the second antenna 114 may be the communicationantenna on a frequency band of 100 to 350 kHz, the wireless receptionantenna, or the wireless power transmission antenna.

The third antenna 116 may be disposed between the first antenna 112 andthe second antenna 114 on the circuit board 111. The third antenna 116may have an operating frequency which is lower than that of the firstantenna 112. For example, the third antenna 116 may have an operatingfrequency band of 100 kHz or less.

At this time, the third antenna 116 may be the communication antennausing frequency band of 100 kHz or less, and for example, may be the MSTantenna. Also, the third antenna 116 may be the wireless powertransmission antenna using the frequency band of 100 kHz or less.

Although the third antenna 116 is shown as one antenna disposed betweenthe first antenna 112 and the second antenna 114, the present disclosureis not limited thereto. The third antenna 116 may be a plurality ofantennas, disposed between the first antenna 112 disposed on theoutermost area of the circuit board and the second antenna 114 disposedon the central area of the circuit board, and having different operatingfrequencies from each other.

As shown in FIG. 12, the first antenna 112, the second antenna 114, andthe third antenna 116 may be formed of the flat coil wound in aclockwise direction or counterclockwise direction. The wound flat coilmay have the circular shape, the elliptical shape, the spiral shape, orthe polygonal shape such as the quadrangular shape. Here, the firstantenna 112 and the second antenna 114 may function as the receptioncoil (Rx coil) or the transmission coil (Tx coil) for wireless powertransmission.

Although not shown in the drawing, when all of the plurality of antennas112, 114 and 116 are provided in the form of the flat coil, each of theconnection terminals may be electrically connected to an external devicewithout passing through the circuit board. In this case, the circuitboard may not be employed so that the production cost can be furtherreduced.

Here, the switching unit 120′ may connect or disconnect at least two ofthe plurality of antennas 112, 114, and 116 based on the operation modeof the antenna unit 110′. In particular, the switching unit 120′ mayconnect or disconnect at least one of the first antenna 112, the secondantenna 114, and the third antenna 116. The switching unit 120′ mayinclude the first switch 122 and the second switch 124.

The first switch 122 is connected to one side of the first antenna 112,the second antenna 114, and the third antenna 116, respectively. Thefirst switch 122 may include two common contacts C11 and C12 and threecontacts S11, S12, and S13. Here, the common contact C11 may beselectively connected to any one of the contacts S11 and S13, and thecommon contact C12 may be selectively connected to any one of thecontacts S12 and S13.

The common contact C11 may be connected to one side of the secondantenna 114 and the contact S11 may be connected to the second wirelessmodule 16 coupled with the second antenna 114. The common contact C21may be connected to one side of the third antenna 116 and the contactS12 may be connected to the third wireless module 18 coupled with thethird antenna 116. The contact S13 may be connected to one side of thefirst antenna 112. That is, the contact point S13 may be connected toone side of the first antenna 112 and the first wireless module 14coupled with the first antenna 112.

The second switch 124 is connected to the other side of the firstantenna 112, the second antenna 114 and the third antenna 116,respectively. The second switch 124 may include two common contacts C21and C22 and three contacts S21, S22 and S23. Here, the common contactC21 may be connected to any one of the contacts S21 and S23, and thecontact C22 may be selectively connected to any one of the contacts S22and S23.

At this time, the common contact C21 may be connected to the other sideof the second antenna 114, and the contact S21 may be connected to thesecond wireless module 16 coupled with the second antenna 114. Thecommon contact C22 may be connected to the other side of the thirdantenna 116 and the contact S22 may be connected to the third wirelessmodule 18 coupled with the third antenna 116. Also, the contact pointS23 may be connected to the other side of the first antenna 112. Thatis, the contact S23 may be connected to the other side of the firstantenna 112 and the first wireless module 14 coupled with the firstantenna 112.

Here, when the switching unit 120′ disconnects all of the first antenna112, the second antenna 114 and the third antenna 116, the first antenna112, the second antenna 114, and the third antenna 116 may operateindividually.

For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the first switch 122 may function so asto connect the common contact C11 with the contact S11, and so as toconnect the common contact C12 with the contact S21. In addition, thesecond switch 124 may function so as to connect the common contact C21with the contact S21, and so as to connect the common contact C22 withthe contact S22

Here, the wireless power transmission and wireless communication may beperformed through any one of the second antenna 114 and the thirdantenna 116. For example, the wireless power transmission of themagnetic induction manner, or an MST communication may be performedthrough any one of the second antenna 114 and the third antenna 116. Inthis case, the first antenna 112 may not operate because the firstantenna 112 has a different frequency from that of the second antenna114 or the third antenna 116.

When the switching unit 120′ connects the first antenna 112 with atleast one of the second antenna 114 and the third antenna 116, at leastone of the second antenna 114 and the third antennas 116 may beconnected in parallel with the first antenna 112 and function as a partof the first antenna 112.

For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the first switch 122 may connect anyone of the common contact C11 and the common contacts C12 with thecontacts S13. The second switch 124 may connect any one of the commoncontact C21 and the common contacts C22 with the contact S23.

At this time, at least one of the first antenna 112, the second antenna114, and the third antenna 116 may be connected in parallel and operateas one antenna. In this case, wireless power transmission may beperformed by a magnetic resonance manner or the NFC communicationthrough the first antenna 112 may be performed.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 11, since at least one of the inductanceL₁ of the first antenna 112, the inductance L₂ of the second antenna114, and the inductance L₃ of the third antenna 116 in connected inparallel, the total inductance L_(total) of the antenna by parallelconnection of the antennas 112, 114, and 116 is expressed by Equation(2) as below.

$\begin{matrix}{\frac{1}{L_{total}} = {\frac{1}{L_{1}} + \frac{1}{L_{2}} + \cdots + \frac{1}{L_{n}}}} & \left\lbrack {{Equation}\mspace{14mu} 2} \right\rbrack\end{matrix}$

Here, n is the number of antennas connected in parallel, and FIG. 11shows a case where n=3.

For example, if the inductance L₁ of the first antenna 112 is 2 μH, theinductance L₂ of the second antenna 114 is 10 μH, and the inductance L₃of the third antenna 116 is 20 μH, the total inductance L_(total) of theantenna by parallel connection of the first antenna 112 and the secondantenna 114 is 1.67 μH, the total inductance L_(total) of the antenna byparallel connection of the first antenna 112 and the third antenna 116is 1.82 μH, and the total inductance L_(total) of the antenna byparallel connection of all of the antennas 112, 114 and 116 is 1.54 μH.

Accordingly, by connecting in parallel at least one of the first antenna112, the second antenna 114 and the third antenna 116, at least one ofthe second antenna 114 and the third antenna 116 disposed inside thecircuit board 111 may be additionally used without significantlychanging the value of the total inductance.

As a result, during the wireless power transmission of magneticresonance manner, the range of the used antenna can be extended to notonly the outermost portion of the circuit board 111 but also the centralarea of the circuit board 111. Therefore, the distance the wirelesssignal can efficiently reach may increase, and thus coverage of thewireless power transmission or the wireless communication can beenlarged. At the same time, since the wireless power transmission orwireless communication can be performed over wider range, the efficiencyof wireless power transmission or the performance of the wirelesscommunication can be enhanced.

In addition, by selectively using at least one of the second antenna 114and the third antenna 116 disposed inside the first antenna 112 byswitching, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the wirelesspower transmission or the performance of the wireless communicationwithout providing a separate antenna or a pattern. Accordingly, thecombo antenna module 100′ can be miniaturized with respect to the sameefficiency/performance.

As such, when the operation mode of the antenna unit 110′ is in theoperation mode in which the first antenna 112 is used, for example, whenwireless power transmission is performed by the magnetic resonancemanner, when the NFC communication is performed, or when wireless powertransmission or wireless communication is performed through the firstantenna 112, the switching unit 120′ may connect at least one of thefirst antenna 112, the second antenna 114 and the third antenna 116 inparallel.

Alternatively, when the wireless power transmission performance throughthe first antenna 112 is equal to or less than the reference value, theswitching unit 120′ may connect at least one of the first antenna, thesecond antenna 114 and the third antenna 116 in parallel. When thewireless power transmission is performed by the magnetic resonancemanner or the NFC communication is performed through the first antenna112, the switching unit 120′ may not perform the switching operationunconditionally, but perform the switching operation selectivelyperformed only in specific case such as when the efficiency/performanceis equal to or less than the reference value during such the wirelesspower transmission or communication operation. At this time, thewireless performance may be the strength of wireless power transmissionor reception, for example, the strength of wireless communication or thestrength of the wireless power transmission or reception.

When the operation mode of the antenna unit 110′ is the operation modein which the first antenna 112 is not used, for example, when thewireless power transmission in the magnetic resonance manner, or the MSTcommunication is performed through any one of the second antenna 114 andthe third antenna 116, the switching unit 120′ may disconnect all of thefirst antenna 112, the second antenna 114, and the third antenna 116.

Here, at least one of the first antenna 112, the second antenna 114 andthe third antenna 116 is connected in parallel, however, the presentdisclosure is not limited to thereto, one antenna may be connected withat least other one antenna in parallel.

Let's consider a case that wireless power is transmitted by the magneticinduction manner in a frequency band of 100 to 350 kHz, a case thatwireless power is transmitted by the magnetic resonance manner at afrequency of 6.78 MHz, a case that the MST communication is performed inthe frequency band of 100 kHz or less, or a case that the NFCcommunication is performed at the frequency of 13.56 MHz. In these case,the shielding unit 130 is to enhance the performance of the antenna unit110′ operating in the relevant frequency or frequency band.

Here, the shielding unit 130 is not specifically described, but the sametechnical features as those described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6can be applied also.

Such the combo antenna module 100′ according to another embodiment ofthe present disclosure can be applied to the portable electronic device10′.

As shown in FIG. 13, the portable electronic device 10′ according toanother embodiment of the present disclosure may include the comboantenna module 100′, the mode determination unit 12, a plurality ofwireless modules 14, 16 and 18.

The mode determination unit 12 determines which module of the pluralityof wireless modules 14, 16, and 18 is operating and controls theswitching for the combo antenna module 100′. At this time, the modedetermination unit 12 may determine the operation state based on thestrength of wireless power received through each antenna of the comboantenna module 100′.

Alternatively, the mode determination unit 12 may determine thecondition in which the switching unit 120′ does not perform theswitching operation unconditionally according to the operation mode of aplurality of wireless module 14, 16 and 18 but does perform theswitching operation only in specific case.

For example, let's consider a case that the wireless power transmissionefficiently is equal to or less than the reference value when thewireless power is transmitted by a magnetic resonance manner through thefirst antenna 112 disposed at the outmost portion of the circuit board111, or another case that wireless communication performance is equal toor less than the reference value during NFC communication. In order toenhance the power transmission efficiency or the communicationperformance, the switching unit 120′ may perform the switching operationso as to connect at least one of the first antenna 112, the secondantenna 114 and the third antenna in parallel.

At this time, the mode determination unit 12 may determine the specificcondition for switching the switching unit 120′. For example, the modedetermination 12 may determine whether the wireless transmissionperformance is equal to or less than the reference value based on thestrength of wireless transmission or reception. That is, the modedetermination unit 12 may determine the wireless transmissionperformance based on the strength of transmission or reception signal ofthe wireless communication, or the strength of transmission or receptionof the wireless power transmission.

The mode determination unit 12 may determine various conditions forswitching the combo antenna module 100′, and the embodiment of thepresent disclosure is not particularly limited to the kind or method ofthe determination condition.

The plurality of wireless modules may include the first wireless module14, the second wireless module 16, and the third wireless module 18.

The first wireless module 14 may perform the wireless power transmissionof the magnetic resonance manner or performs NFC communication incombination with the first antenna 112. That is, the first wirelessmodule 14 may transmit or receive power wirelessly. For example, thefirst wireless module 14 may include one or both of the wireless powertransmission module and the wireless power reception module. Inaddition, the first wireless module 14 may communicate, receive, ortransmit wirelessly, and may include, any one or both of the wirelessreceiving module and the wireless transmitting module.

The second wireless module 16 may perform the wireless powertransmission by the magnetic induction manner or wireless communicationin combination with the second antenna 114. That is, the second wirelessmodule 16 may transmit or receive power wirelessly. For example, thesecond wireless module 16 may include one or both of the wireless powertransmission module and the wireless power reception module. Inaddition, the first wireless module 14 may communicate, receive, ortransmit wirelessly. For example, the first wireless module 14 mayinclude any one or both of the wireless receiving module and thewireless transmitting module.

The third wireless module 18 may perform the MST communication or thewireless power transmission in combination with the third antenna 116.That is, the third wireless module 18 may communicate, receive, ortransmit wirelessly, and may include any one or both of the wirelessreceiving module and the wireless transmitting module. In addition, thethird wireless module 18 may transmit or receive power wirelessly. Forexample, the third wireless module 18 may include one or both of thewireless power transmission module and the wireless power receptionmodule.

Here, although the first wireless module 14, the second wireless module16, and the third wireless module 18 are not specifically described, thesame technical features as described with reference to FIG. 7 may beapplied also.

As described above, the combo antenna module 100′ according to theembodiment of the present disclosure may be applied to the portableelectronic device 10′. Accordingly, the range, efficiency andperformance of wireless power transmission or wireless communication canbe improved. The convenience and satisfaction for the user of theportable electronic device 10′ can be enhanced.

While the present disclosure has been particularly shown and describedwith reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understoodthat the disclosure is not limited to the disclosed exemplaryembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes in form and details may be made therein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A combo antenna module comprising; an antennaunit including a circuit board, a first antenna for wireless powertransmission, and a second antenna for wireless power transmission ofwhich having an inductance greater than that of the first antenna andmanner is different from that of the first antenna; and a switching unitfor connecting or disconnecting the first antenna and the second antennain parallel based on a wireless power transmission operation mode of theantenna unit, wherein the first antenna is disposed at an outer portionof the circuit board, and the second antenna is disposed inside thefirst antenna of the circuit board, wherein the first antenna is awireless power transmission antenna of a magnetic resonance manner, andwherein the second antenna is a wireless power transmission antenna of amagnetic induction manner, wherein when a performance of wireless powertransmission through the first antenna is equal to or less than areference value, the switching unit connects the first antenna with thesecond antenna in parallel.
 2. The combo antenna module of claim 1,wherein the circuit board is made from a flexible material.
 3. The comboantenna module of claim 1, wherein the switching unit connects the firstantenna with the second antenna in parallel when the operation mode ofthe antenna unit is a wireless power transmission mode of a magneticresonance manner.
 4. The combo antenna module of claim 1, wherein theperformance of the wireless power transmission is a strength of thewireless power transmission or reception.
 5. The combo antenna module ofclaim 1, wherein when the operation mode of the antenna unit is awireless power transmission mode of a magnetic induction manner, theswitching unit disconnects the first antenna and the second antenna. 6.The combo antenna module of claim 1, wherein the combo antenna modulefurther includes a shielding unit disposed on a surface of the antennaunit to shield a magnetic field.
 7. A combo antenna module, comprising;an antenna unit including a circuit board and a plurality of antennashaving different operating frequencies and inductances from each other;and a switching unit for connecting or disconnecting at least two of theplurality of antennas based on an operation mode of the antenna unit,wherein the antenna unit includes a first antenna disposed at anoutermost portion of the circuit board, a second antenna disposed on acenter area of the circuit board and at least one a third antennadisposed between the first antenna and the second antenna, wherein anoperating frequency of the second antenna is lower than that of thefirst antenna and higher than that of the third antenna, wherein thefirst antenna includes any one of a wireless power transmission antennaof a magnetic resonance manner and a near field communication (NFC)antenna, and wherein the second antenna is a wireless power transmissionantenna of a magnetic induction manner, and the third antenna is amagnetic secure transmission (MST) antenna, wherein a wirelessperformance through the first antenna is equal to or less than areference value, the switching unit connects in parallel the firstantenna with at least one of the second antenna and the third antenna.8. The combo antenna module of claim 7, wherein when the antenna unit isin an operation mode in which the first antenna is used, the switchingunit functions so as to connect in parallel the first antenna with atleast one of the second antenna and the third antenna.
 9. The comboantenna module of claim 7, wherein when the antenna unit is in anoperation mode in which the first antenna is not used, the switchingunit disconnects all of the first antenna, the second antenna, and thethird antenna.
 10. A portable electronic device comprising; a comboantenna module including an antenna unit including a circuit board, afirst antenna for wireless power transmission, and a second antenna forwireless power transmission of which having an inductance greater thanthat of the first antenna and manner is different from that of the firstantenna, and a shielding unit disposed on a surface of the antenna unitto shield a magnetic field; a switching unit for connecting ordisconnecting at least two of the plurality of antennas in parallelbased on a wireless power transmission operation mode of the antennaunit; a plurality of wireless module coupled with the plurality ofantennas, respectively; and a mode determination unit for determiningwhich module of the plurality of wireless modules is operating and forcontrolling switching of the combo antenna module, wherein the firstantenna is disposed at an outer portion of the circuit board, and thesecond antenna is disposed inside the first antenna of the circuitboard, wherein the first antenna is a wireless power transmissionantenna of a magnetic resonance manner, and wherein the second antennais a wireless power transmission antenna of a magnetic induction manner,wherein when a performance of wireless power transmission through thefirst antenna is equal to or less than a reference value, the switchingunit connects the first antenna with the second antenna in parallel.